ch-ch-ch-Changes

"Turn and face the strange..." - David Bowie. From personal essays to creative exploration. On starting something new and letting curiosity lead.

Summer descends on Shiga Prefecture.

Life has been full-steam ahead as summer heats up (literally), and with the warmth have come longer days and more twilight hours to lie under the air conditioner and ponder. I’ve been deep in reflection lately. The kind that’s slightly painful but oddly satisfying. Maybe my burnout-healing Japan journey is finally paying off (not that it wasn’t already).

It’s like I finally have the time to think about my time. What do I want to do with it? Can I find time to write, read, ride my new bike, see friends, learn Japanese, cook, relax, and plan for my future? How can I balance it all? How can I tackle projects and put long-existing ideas into motion? Am I ready? Am I capable? I’m working through all the imposter syndrome that’s been standing in my way while I slowly, surely, forge ahead.

My cycling days officially begun with a very windy 22 km ride along Lake Biwa on my new roadbike!

I enjoy writing about my life: about turning thirty-something, about starting over in Japan, about self-reflection and learning curves. That kind of writing isn’t necessarily going anywhere. But lately, I’ve had the energy to shift my focus to a different passion: intellectual connection. A kind of stimulation I used to find in academic spaces or late-night conversations with other humanities nerds.

This is definitely not a new interest. It’s been with me ever since the day my dad took me to get pizza after swim practice and explained—much to my confused but oddly delighted fifth-grade self—what ancient Mesopotamia was and why I had to study it in school. Something clicked that day. I saw my world, in the small way I could, as one tiny dot on the long linear consciousness of human history. I saw that it’s all connected, though I wasn’t sure yet what that connection meant or how many ways it could be explored. I felt that day, as on many days since, an inexplicable hunger for meaning, for context. A thrill for my own curiosity.

There is an internal, private, kind of spark that curiosity ignites. And for some time, I’ve wanted a place where my curiosity can have a home. Maybe even a community.

So, I’m starting a new project: Thicket.

It’s a curiosity-led journal of the arts, humanities, and all the odd little things that live in between. A space where I’ll explore loosely themed ideas each month—drawing from history, literature, design, music, and whatever else has been living rent-free in my brain. Each short series will seek to scratch that itch for rabbit-hole research and hyperfixation-driven curiosity while finding the threads that connect each idea. It’s like an online salon where the conversation flows from topic to topic fluidly as water. At least, that is my eventual hope.

It won’t be about me, exactly—but of course, I’ll still be there. Just as I’ve always been here.

Am I biting off more than I can chew? Maybe. But someone told me the other day, all you can do in this kind of situation is chew, chew, chew.

If you’ve enjoyed the more reflective or culture-centered writing I’ve shared in the past, I think you might like Thicket. I’d love to have you there.

And if you're mostly here for the personal essays—thank you. This space will stay open, and I’ll return to it whenever I need to process out loud again.

As always, thank you for reading. And thank you for letting my creative path twist and grow. I hope yours is doing the same.

Onward into the brambles,
Laura

Ending Notes

Listening To: What have I been enjoying while doing all this pondering? A delightfully funky album called Sandwich by ggg. It’s jazzy, loose, funky, and fun — and the lack of lyrics is perfect for the kind of noise my brain has been making lately. I hope you enjoy it too!

Recent Eats: At long last, it’s zucchini season in Japan again! I don’t grow them myself. Thankfully…no risk of having to unload extras into open car windows or onto an unlucky neighbor’s front porch. But I was delighted to spot some at the market and couldn’t resist bringing a two home.

If I were back in the States, I’d probably make a lovely quiche or ratatouille. But alas, I don’t have an oven. Instead, I might whip up an old family favorite: potato-zucchini omelets with lots of dill and red chili flakes. The only drawback? It requires turning on the stove — a real challenge in the hot, humid summer months.

Do I want hot food for dinner? No.

So instead, I’ll take a page from My Neighbor Totoro and eat them raw. Sliced into a salad with lettuce, tomatoes, vinaigrette, and red onion. Or piled on a thick piece of hearty toast with a smear of cream cheese and herbs. Or simply chopped into spears and dipped in miso.

Are you overrun with this odd little squash yet? What do you do when you’ve got zucchini practically growing out your ears? Comment below with your ideas!